Playing Hero
by luckythirteenx
Summary: "That's gunna leave a bruise." [Rated for offensive language.]


**Disclaimer: **_Inuyasha _belongs to Rumiko Takashi.

**A/N: **I was attacked by a plot bunny... No real time period, before the end of the series, I suppose.

Enjoy, all feedback is appreciated. xo

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><p>Kagome hit the ground running. Her sides were aching, she could barely catch her breath, but her adrenaline was high and her friends needed her to act fast.<p>

Not even risking a glance behind her, the school girl tried to boost herself, the pull of a jewel shard being so close overwhelming any other thoughts.

"Kagome!" The desperate shout of Inuyasha sounded so far away.

The half demon was still battling away demons with Sango and Miroku, their backs to each other forming a triangle.

He growled. "Stupid girl! I can't even get to her!"

Sango grunted to his right. "They just keep coming!" Hiraikotsu soared through the air back to her once again and master demon slayer or not, her arm was killing her from having to repeatedly fling it away with no break in between.

It seemed like the second there was a break, another wave of demons was right up in their faces. They were forced back each time someone took a step just too far. Kirara wasn't faring too much better, a few feet away.

"This space is too small for me to use my wind tunnel," Miroku added, his staff jingling and ofudas flying too fast for the untrained eye to see.

A brief lull set on them as the last demon was destroyed, just in time for them to see the missing member of their group … scaling a wall?

"Kagome!" Inuyasha roared, taking off. The second he was in the air, the sky seemingly broke open and the next wave of demons came flying toward him. He flung himself backward, Tetsusaiga coming up reflexively.

_'__Dammit, what the fuck does she think she's doing?'_ he seethed mentally, cutting demons left and right.

"Inuyasha, is it not strange that they are not going after Lady Kagome?" The monk rolled his eyes briefly as he thwarted away a cluster of snake demons. "I'm not implying I _want _them to, you simpleton. I'm just wondering, doesn't it seem like we're being kept in one place, as if the demons from the sky can only see us and not her?"

Inuyasha would have paused if he wasn't slicing through the guts of a rouge demon that was targeting his feet.

"He has a point. I still have no idea what Kagome's planning," Sango voiced all of their thoughts as she dealt with her own share of the attack.

"It better be fucking good." His comment ended the conversation, as more demons came flying at their awaiting weapons.

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><p>Kagome was really happy she did do track for three brief years, and that she had spent the past year running around the Feudal Era, or she would've collapsed in a heap before she had the brilliant idea to get to higher ground.<p>

She had finally reached the roof of the hut her friends' saw her scaling before, staying low and doing her best to hop from hut to hut to reach her destination - the main house of this village.

There, she could see the outline of a human. Instincts and the now familiar feel of a shard told her that whoever it was, was definitely not a human anymore.

Reaching the final hut before the long house, Kagome crouched and observed her target. He was laughing maniacally, and the sky cracked open as demons rained down on the ground below. She winced as they flew straight at the specks she knew to be her friends.

_'__They can handle their own; it's you who's up here! Don't chicken out, Higurashi!'_

With a nod to herself, letting her own encouragement and the faith in her friends fuel her, she knocked an arrow in her bow as silently as she could -

When the human-turned-demon-summoner turned and pierced her with dark red eyes.

Kagome froze on the spot, arrow pointing straight at his forehead that held five black as night jewel shards.

"Foolisssssh…" he hissed, a forked tongue spitting out between his lips before he laughed again.

The sky made an ominous cracking noise, almost like thunder, before a dark mist began to form and circle around the two.

Kagome was scared shitless to be perfectly honest.

But she knew defeating him was their only hope, so she stood her ground, gracefully scrambling onto the long rooftop. Her arrow was still pointed straight at her foe, who looked more amused than anything.

"I don't know what you are, but this is it! Prepare to die!" Hoping that her trembling was unnoticeable, her uniform skirt whipping around her as her spiritual powers kicked into high gear, Kagome let the arrow fly.

It hit the mark, two jewel shards flying out and landing a foot or so away from the possessed human. His head had flown back, but it snapped right up and red eyes flashed at her.

"You'll pay for your inssssolenceee…" he hissed. Another arrow went whizzing by as he dodged to the left and went flying straight at her.

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><p>Inuyasha jerked as Kagome's scream pierced through the air.<p>

"Kagomeee! God fucking _dammit_!" He sliced through the next wave of demons with a roar, landing back on the ground as remains and bones scattered around him.

"I'm coming!" He bounded off, in the air before he finished his sentence.

Sango and Miroku watched their companion bound off, dryly scooping demon guts off their faces.

"He couldn't do that before?" Sango grumbled, as Miroku nodded in agreement.

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><p>Kagome landed on the ground with a deep <em>oof<em>. She groaned and rolled on her stomach, clutching her left arm close to her chest, spotting her (now broken) bow and arrows several feet away.

"That's gunna leave a bruise," she mumbled, trying to get to her feet but falling to her knees dizzily. Faintly aware of Inuyasha calling her name, Kagome made another attempt to stand only for the half-snake half human? to land in front of her on the ground, gracefully of course.

He sneered at her. "Pathetic."

A burst of red and silver slammed into him and the two figures went rolling off to the side. She could only blink dumbly as they came to a stop and Inuyasha emerged from the dust cloud.

"What the fuck, wench?! You got a death wish?!" He bared his teeth at her, still on her knees and faintly becoming more aware of blood dripping down her legs.

"Wisssh… the jewel shardsss gave me minee … " The dog demon turned to his new opponent, only to be sent flying back into Kagome with a burst of dark mist trailing after them.

Thinking quickly, Inuyasha twisted in midair to grab the stunned priestess. They landed on the roof of the main house, as the mist ate up the ground where they previously were.

Kagome peered down, feeling around for the fallen shards as Inuyasha ranted off to her.

"You're pretty damn stupid, running off like that! That bastard threw you off a fucking roof! And you're fucking bleeding! Just wait till this is over, Kagome, because you are not leaving my sight for a fucking _second_! You can piss with me watching, or not piss at all!"

She ignored him, adding the shards to the jar around her neck before cutting off his rampage.

"Okay, okay, you can watch me urinate all you want, but first, there are three more shards in his forehead and I really ticked him off with my purification arrows… and now my bow is broken. So, let me get on your back and get close to him to get the shards, and boom, he's powerless. Got it?"

Inuyasha quickly lost air as he was interrupted in his tirade, peering down at her blinking brown eyes.

"Okay, great, come on, dog boy!"

"Hey, just wait a second!" She was already climbing on his back, grabbing at his hair for leverage before he could even protest.

"We don't have a second, let's go!"

"Just who are you ordering around?"

The roof shuddered as odd thunder noise sounded again, and their opponent came landing in front of them.

"Your sssssquabbling … hurtssss thissssss body'sssss earssssssss … " His red eyes were becoming darker, resembling almost black now as he approached them, hand outstretched. Dark mist still swarming around him, he hissed at the couple who was quickly backing up.

Kagome peeked nervously over her shoulder at the edge of the roof, before looking back at being in front of her.

"Inuyasha…" she said in his ear, still half on his back. He had unsheathed Tetsusaiga again, pushing Kagome further behind him.

"What?" he snapped back, gaze not wavering from the beast in front of him.

"Drop me off the roof."

Inuyasha's neck snapped so fast to the side, she briefly wondered if he could get whiplash as he roared, "WHAT? YOU DO HAVE A DEATH WISH!"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be a simpleton, I have a plan."

He seethed. "I'm not dropping you off the god damn roof, are you doing this for me or are you just plain retarded?"

Kagome grabbed a dog ear roughly. "Just do it!"

Their opponent began winding up his power, the winding shifting around them as the mist coiled and looked ready to pounce. Inuyasha had about a second to think before, "THIS BETTER BE FUCKING GOOD!" and Kagome went off the roof.

The mist shot after her, as did it's owner. Inuyasha went flying at him, sword swinging, but the second he was in the air, the demon disappeared. He landed on the roof, spinning around wildly.

"What the fuck?"

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><p>Kagome felt her self falling for the second time that day, but this time, she was ready. Looking up, the half snake human creation was flying after her.<p>

"Jewel ssssshardsssss…" His hiss made her skin crawl, but she still prayed he would reach her before she hit the ground.

_'__Come on, just a little closer…'_

He reached his hand out to her, pushing himself farther.

_'__Almost there…'_

Suddenly, he was in her face, grabbing her arm and the world exploded in a pink light.

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><p>Eyelashes fluttered before brown eyes shot open wide, and Kagome shot up, grabbing at her chest and looking everywhere wildly.<p>

The familiar surroundings of Kaede's hut greeted her and she sighed in relief, until the throbbing in her ribs forced her back down.

She could hear voices outside, getting louder. Taking a deep, shaky breath, the school girl worked herself to her feet, barely noticing she was now in traditional priestess robes. She reached the door way and moved the mat back, before gasping at the scene in front of her.

Kaede and Miroku sat side by side in similar prayer stances, with Inuyasha banging wildly at an invisibly barrier, Tetsusaiga swinging with no abandon.

"JUST WAIT TILL I GET MY HANDS ON THE BOTH OF YOU!" He roared, bringing his sword down on the barrier before getting thrown back a few feet.

Miroku sighed, "Such a simpleton." Something caught his eye and he turned his head to the side, catching Kagome's eye.

"Oh, Lady Kagome!"

Concentration broken, Kaede and Miroku stood and turned to her. Kagome smiled weakly, walking to meet them.

"What's going on?" They opened their mouths to answer her question when Inuyasha came roaring back.

"I KNEW I COULD BREAK IT DOWN, NOW LET ME SEE - Kagome!" He broke off into a normal voice, coming to a stop behind Kaede.

The three turned to look at the now blushing dog demon. He looked everywhere but at them, sheathing his sword and a soft, "I didn't know you were up."

She smiled softly, walking up to him and waiting until he met her gaze. Inuyasha swallowed as he assessed her makeshift sling, and though her clothes were covering them, the bandages on her sides and legs.

"I just got up now … how did everything work out?"

He snapped his attention back to her face, anger back in tenfold.

"HOW DID EVERYTHING WORK OUT? YOU STUPID WENCH, YOU TRIED TO GET YOURSELF KILLED, AND YOU'RE STANDING THERE ALL FUCKED UP, AND YOU ASK ME HOW IT WORKED _OUT_?"

Kagome bristled. "Excuse me, I'm not … messed up! I'll be okay, these injuries are nothing, and I did what I had to, to save us!"

"Save us? Stupid girl, you almost died!"

"NO I DIDN'T, you're dramatic."

"YEAH, YOU DIDN'T BECAUSE I GOT THERE IN TIME!"

"WHAT?"

Miroku and Kaede sighed, turning back and walking to her hut away from the bickering couple.

"Such simpletons," the monk shook his head, as Kaede nodded and voiced her agreement with a short, "Aye."


End file.
